They should be used to the death by now, Spade knew. But he still couldn't help but feel pained turmoil in his stomach as Fabian fell on the screen and plummeted into the waters below.

The room was deathly silent. Only five students remained, including Spade himself. And none of them were willing to be the first to speak right now.

Spade looked to Akik. He didn't look at the screen. There was a storm of emotion swirling in his dichromatic eyes. Spade didn't doubt he felt responsible for Tonix's death, and now he'd ensured that Fabian died as well. He put his hand on Akik's shoulder, but he didn't react. Just stared off blankly, refusing to look at the now static-filled screen.

"Still not exciting to you? Alright, whatever," Monokumadi scoffed. "Good job on living another day, hope you all die soon~!"

Addie pinned her ears and glared at her before walking away. Everyone else soon followed out - not much to stick around for, anyway.

Five people. Five. Out of the eleven students that had arrived at Hope's Peak who knows how long ago, five students remained. To Spade, it was incredible what captivity and fear could do to the human brain. Everyone (with maybe an exception or two) who had arrived at the school had never been a murderer, had never wanted to kill anyone. Yet still, here they were. Six down.

Spade wondered how long it would take that number to decrease again.

-

Spade thought it'd take longer for everyone to start acting up again. He was wrong.

He had been wandering the physics lab at the time - he wanted to find any possible weapon someone could use to kill and be rid of it. Sure, many other things unable to be disposed of could be used as possible methods of murder, but he'd rather limit the possibilities. At least if there's less, then possible methods could be narrowed down.

He was searching a cabinet when he heard a loud cry echo through the halls outside. Immediately he turned around, searching the doorway. There was no one there. The cry sounded out again, and someone darted past the doorway - Akik, who'd probably also been nearby. Spade stopped was he was doing and decided to check it out as well, running out of the physics lab and following the source of the sound.

Akik had gotten to the art room before him. He was holding Xerc with one arm to the far wall, holding him back the best he could. Xerc was thrashing around under Akik's weight, yelling multiple profanities best not repeated. Addie was there as well. She was across the room from them, getting up from the ground. She was holding her ribcage shakily, and a nasty bruise was swelling her left eye shut as well. There was a streak of black down her cheek from that eye as well - was she wearing mascara? Spade had never made her out to be someone to wear makeup, but maybe she did.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Spade demanded, stepping into the room.

Xerc was still struggling against the wall."LET ME GO, YOU MOTHER-"

Akik's stern glare eventually silenced him. He exhaled, no longer fighting the taller student. He still looked pissed, however, so Akik didn't let him go.

"They were fighting," Akik said, turning his head slightly to see Spade better out of the corner of his eye. His fluffy hair was slightly more disheveled than usual. "Or, more accurately, Xerc was attacking Addie, by the looks of it."

Explained the lack of injuries of Xerc while Addie was somewhat beat up. Spade glanced at Addie to check if she was okay. She saw the glance and gave a tiny nod, then flinched as she moved her head.

"She's a demon, I tell ya!" Xerc said angrily, pushing against Akik's arm again to accusingly attempt to lunge at Addie again. "She's a monster!"

Addie looked like she was about to respond, but flinched again as she took a breath. Bruised or broken rib, most likely. Spade would have to take her to the nurse's office after this was sorted out.

"What's that supposed to mean, did she do something?" Spade asked, glancing at Addie again. She shrugged with a pained expression.

"She tried to freaking kill me, YES she did something!" Xerc lashed out again. Akik refused to let go of him. "She came up to me, and tried to stab me with one of her weird tentacle thingies!"

"...what?" Now Spade was less concerned for Addie's physical health and more for Xerc's mental health. Had he lost his mind? Addie and Akik both looked equally confused.

"She doesn't have them now, but she did! Thirty seconds ago, she had freaking tentacles and a mouth and her eyes were all black-"

"Xerc, that's enough!" Spade snapped. "What the hell are you saying? What you're suggesting is preposterous!"

"She's a demon! I know she is! Let me kill her before she kills us all!" Xerc tried to push against Akik again, but now Akik was restraining him more in the fear that he was actually insane.

"Xerc, calm down," Spade said sternly. Xerc met his gaze, glaring daggers into his soul. Spade didn't falter. His eyes remained on Spade for a few silent moments longer before his gaze dropping to the ground, and he stopped resisting.

"Thank you." Spade let out a sigh. He looked between Addie and Xerc. He wanted to question them both, but first he wanted to make sure no one was seriously injured.

"Both of you, come with me to the nurse's office. If I hear a word out of either of you until then, I'll be a lot less forgiving than I am now."

"I'll come too," Akik nodded to Spade. He hesitantly glanced at Xerc let him go. Xerc glanced at Addie, as if contemplating finishing her off. But he just sighed angrily, and followed Spade out the door. He seemed to walk with a slight limp - most likely, Addie had put up something of a fight.

"Leaving without me?"

When Gradient had gotten there, Spade had no clue, but there he was, sitting not far into the art room. He was sitting with his legs hanging off a table, and had probably been watching everything go down.

Spade tensed a little, but relaxed after a second. Gradient smirked. "Kidding. Even if you didn't want me to, I'm coming. Much more fun to watch the drama."

Spade just sighed with a roll of his eyes, and began to head to the nurse's office.

-

"...and then she pulled me off balance and tried to stab me! That's when I attacked her back!"

Xerc was no more calm about recalling what was apparently his near-death experience. It was a valid story, Spade admitted. Except for the whole part about Addie being a demon or something. Which was about half the story.

Spade handed Addie an ice pack for her eye, which had swelled shut and was a shade of bright red, borderline purple, that nearly matched her vibrant blazer. She took it, placing it over the swelling area.

"Xerc, if you wanna frame someone for attacking you, try to make up a more likely story than the nicest person here turning into a tentacled demon and stabbing you," Akik sighed. He had grabbed some bandages and was about to help Xerc wrap his apparently sprained ankle, however Xerc just grabbed them from him without a word and started wrapping it himself. Akik tried to step in and help, but Xerc was quite frosty about it.

"Why the hell don't you believe me? I know what I saw, I wouldn't lie about this!" Xerc said briskly, an icy tone to his voice as he wrapped his swelling ankle. It wasn't working the way he seemed to want it to work, so he eventually gave up and let Akik do it.

"Anyone can lie about anything under the right circumstances," Gradient said from near the doorway. He was, as usual, playing with his knife, despite Spade's warnings to him to keep it out of sight to prevent framing. Spade had a feeling he didn't care if he was framed at this point, considering he'd been framed once and blamed for murder twice more.

"Shut up, Gradient!" Xerc shouted angrily. "I'm not freaking lying!

Gradient shrugged, a smug smile on his face. "Just saying."

"Well, since Xerc's answer hasn't changed at all," Spade sighed. "What's your side of it, Addie?"

Addie blinked with her one good eye, looking off into the distance as if thinking. Then she snapped back to reality. "I don't know, to be honest. I think I must've stumbled into him or something, and he must've taken it as me trying to attack him. Not sure where the tentacle part came from, though."

"If you believe that, maybe I will actually kill someone," Xerc rolled his eyes.

"Shut up a second," Spade snapped at Xerc. He didn't flinch, but remained silent. Spade relaxed a little. "I don't know the details of this, and I'm not going to believe anyone for certain. Either of you could easily be lying."

"I could actually help with this."

Spade glanced at Gradient, who'd spoken from his corner again.

Gradient gave him a small smile. "If there is a demon among us, all I'd have to do is perform a little ritual, and the demon would be forced to reveal themselves." He shrugged. "It's simple, really. I'd just need some chalk and candles."

"...that could work, actually," Spade nodded.

"But... do I want to help you guys?" Gradient thought for a moment, an expression of mocking pensiveness on his face. He smiled again. "You know what? Not really. So I won't."

"If you're not gonna do it, why'd you bring it up in the first place?" Akik retorted, annoyed. He'd been quite irritable since Fabian's death - and for good reason. Spade didn't blame him.

"I have my own reasons," the Ultimate Ritualist winked with a grin. Spade turned away, deciding not to look at that face any longer than he had to. What was he doing? Right, bandages.

After Spade helped her wrap her eye, Addie decided to take some bandages to wrap around her somewhere between bruised and broken ribcage in the bathroom. Spade didn't argue, and let her go. Xerc stared after her as she left. He really was not happy about whatever happened.

What the hell does any of this mean? Spade rubbed the bridge of his nose. We have enough on our plate without hallucinations or demons on our hands - whichever the truth may be.

Guess we'll have to find out.

-

1792 words

Writing motivation's been off and on, sorry for holding this for so long lol